When the Moneague Hotel was built in 1890-1 'Fern Gully' was still the 'famous Gully Road'and in referring to the establishment of the Hotel succeeding editions of the Handbook continued to use the term 'Gully Road' into the early years of the new century. However, already in the account of the planning of the Hotel it was said to be 'in easy reach of the Fern Gully leading to Ocho Rios'.

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Daily
Gleaner, April 11, 1891.

OPENING
OF THE MONEAGUE HOTEL

In
our issue of Wednesday, we gave a final
intimation, that the new hotel in St.
Ann's, established
by a company of local landed proprietor and others, would, on that day, be formally thrown open, as now ready, in every way, to minister to the wants of
transient travellers,
and to the comfort of more permanent
boarders. We also at the same time set
forth a brief description of the completed
buildings, and of their situation and
surroundings, in one of the most beautiful,
healthy and generally accessible localities of Jamaica;
viz. - the far-famed

district of "The
Moneague," in the parish of St. Ann's. We now further note the

proceedings that took
place on the appointed day. It was a subject
of regret

that His Excellency the Governor,
having a previous engagement, to be
present

with Lady Blake at the laying of the Foundation Stone of the Trelawney
Girls' School,
could not be present; but he had visited the building the day before, and

given his unofficial approbation to its
fabric and appointments. The absence of

the
Hon. M. Solomon, the Custos of St.
Ann's, and the representative of that

parish
in the Legislative Council,
was sufficiently accounted for - although
also much regretted - from the joint
reasons, that he is not in strong
health, but

nevertheless is in attendance on his duty to
his constituents, in his place, at the
Legislative Chamber in Kingston. But by
12.30 p.m. on Wednesday the 8th

instant, an influential gathering had assembled of
the gentlemen
of St. Ann, and

also there were present
some from St. Catherine and Kingston, who
had been

invited to attend on the
opening day, and all were now duly met
and welcomed
by the Directors present, viz., Chas. Steer,
Esq., Chairman, and Messrs. A
Douet, A. Roxborourgh, M.A. Llewellyn, A. A. Stewart, with A. N. Sutherland,

Wortley
and Mais had completed their contract in
"a workmanlike and masterly manner,"
and

he knew that this would be a
standing utility and adornment to the hotel itself, and he hoped

and believed that
these features would be a good business advertisement to the contractors.

To this toast Mr. C. Mais, who (with his
brother, Mr. E. Mais) was present, duly
responded and reciprocated by proposing the
health of the Directors, and wishes for the permanent prosperity of the Company;
which aspirations were ably acknowledged by Mr. A. Roxborough, who then called for a toast in honour of the visitors, coupled specially with the name of S.
ConstantineBurke, Esq., to which that

gentleman replied with the easy grace a
forensic

expert, although he did not at all appear there in

the capacity of an
advocate "Learned in the Law” but,
moderately spoke of himself only as a
St.

Ann's pen-keeper.

responding
said that as yet his experiences of
Jamaica had beenneither wide nor deep, but so far they went,
were every way favourable, and he thought that
there was a great future

opening to the
island at large, and to that particular
Hotel enterprise;
as it was centrally

situated to the
whole island and equally accessible in all directions;
indeed, an idea struck him,

that as St.
Ann was a large parish, and he
understood that many of its officials found
difficulties in getting residences; that these
homeless ones should take up their permanent
quarters at the Hotel - at any rate
he was sure
that more private residences would soon spring

up in its vicinity. Of course
there were
pessimists and croakers every where; and he
had met a

few of them; who had told
him, that the Hotel would never pay;
that if it could have been

opened when
the Exhibition
of 1891 commenced; that it might have
done a good business for

three months;
but that after that it would have to
be closed: whereas he appealed to the

gentlemen
present - who were not interested
financially, to say whether such men as
the

Directors
were, would invest - or encourage the
expenditure of £5,000 capital on an adventure

which would have to be closed up three
mouths after it was fairly started ? He
thanked the

meeting for the kind word
said and endorsed about himself; he did
not profess
to be “a

burning and a shining
light”; but he had tried and would
continue to try to do
his duty to the

best of his ability.
It was a pleasure to him, however, to know that he was giving satisfaction,

and he hoped in his official as well as
in his personal capacity to remain in sympathy and

friendship with all
classes in the large and important parish of
St. Anns. The next and last

toast given
was by Mr. Roxburgh; it was the "Press
of Jamaica" - coupled with the names
of the gentlemen present, who represented
it. He said
that the press of Jamaica was both a

respectable and efficient organization, it did
a great
deal of necessary and progressive work,

it
had seen and expressed its conviction that first
class hotels in favourable districts were

important factors in the future prosperity
of Jamaica, both in regard to the
comfort and health

of its inhabitants and
also as to the attractions we could
offer to visitors - whether they were

health or pleasure-seekers.

This
toast having been duly responded to by the representatives of

"GLEANER" and "NEWS LETTER" the company had to disperse at
2 p.m.,

as some of those present had to
get to Ewarton to catch the 3.20 train
to

Kingston.

The
day was calm and beautiful in St. Ann's, the views lovely and the climate

cool and exhilarating. A restful charm seemed to
those who came from the hot

and toilful plains,
to hover round the sloping hills and to nestle in the shady

trees. Horses, sheep
and cattle wandered free within the large
stone-walled

pastures, the drought all prevalent
showed its traces even there; the verdure
was that of autumn not of spring; but
the "surloin" and the "saddle the

"turkey" and the "game"
that weighted the festive side boards had
known

nought of famine; nor had suffered
from the severer hardships of drought. We
left Kingston at 8 a.m., but were in
the Exhibition ground by 6.16 p.m, and
stayed to the fireworks. We had not
passed through the Moneague for 30 years
and the last time did so from Brown's
Town. We got into Spanish Town "dead
beat" both man and horses at 10
p.m. after ten hours travelling.

The
next toast by the Chairman - was in
recognition of those who - whether resident in
the parish or not, represented the
professional and mercantile - rather than
the agricultural interests of the country.
With this as representative of such classes,
he(the chairman) named J. C. Reece, Esq., the
highly respected and able ResidentMagistrate
- then present. This toast Mr. Gordon,
of Spanish Town seconded - as, although
not resident in St. Ann's, his businessled him frequently to be there and brought
him into ultimate relation with the landed
proprietors and stock-breeders of